First Full Day of Activities
The campers were all smiles today as they received their schedules for the first full day of regular programming. Our daily structure at North Star is one of the things that sets us apart. It blends a strong framework with the freedom for each camper to shape their own experience. Here’s a quick overview of how our program works:
Campers select their Instructional Periods each week. Periods 1, 2, and 3 are focused learning blocks where boys work to develop skills and pursue new interests. They rank their top ten choices from more than 80 activities, and we build personalized schedules based on those preferences. Popular options include everything from waterskiing, archery, and climbing to disc golf, soccer, arts & crafts, and stand-up paddleboarding. Campers stay in each instructional activity for three days, which allows for depth, consistency, and real growth.
Each activity area includes a tiered achievement system—beginner, intermediate, and advanced—with specific goals for progress. For example, a camper in riflery or archery must hit certain benchmarks to advance. This objective-based model encourages campers to set goals, work hard, and see tangible success. It’s not just about getting better at a skill; it’s about learning persistence, focus, and confidence.
Fourth period is our cabin-assigned period each day. It rotates between activities like Challenge Games (where cabins face off in fun and friendly competitions), Green-White events, or Village Activities. Today was a Village Activity day, which gave each age group the chance to bond. Juniors had a water fight, Intermediates did a fort building competition, and the Seniors played beach flags.
Organized Free, our fifth period, allows boys to make a daily choice. Some head to the waterfront, others to the courts or climbing wall. Some just enjoy relaxing and hanging out with friends. But today’s organized saw the start of some weather rolling in, so we had to cut it short and bring everyone into the Lodge.
Tonight’s evening program was a spirited and fun North Star-style version of Family Feud, where our staff competed by guessing the campers’ top highlights from different parts of camp. Laughter and friendly rivalry filled the Lodge, and the energy stayed high right through the final round. We capped off the night with a village dance-off that had everyone on their feet, cheering and moving to the music. Even when the rain is pouring down outside, we know how to have a great deal of fun and keep building those connections.
Tomorrow, we kick off our second session wilderness trips! Cabins S-4, S-5 & S-6 are off to the Porcupine Mountains, and S-3 is headed to the Brule River. We’re excited for the adventure and the memories ahead!
We might joke around here that “it never rains at North Star,” but if that were really true, then there’d be no trees either––no maples, birches, oaks, nor pines. No wet shoes or socks, yes, but no athletic fields to run on, no grass between the toes we kept so dry.
Tomorrow, we send out cabins S3 and S4 to canoe the Brule River and cabins S5 and S6 to hike the Porcupine Mountains, while back at camp we look forward to another great day of activities.
